Look Back Once
by GJFH
Summary: A question or two


He had turned his radio off and rolled his windows down, fingers tapping against the steering wheel. It took him ten, maybe fifteen minutes to get to the store. Standing in an aisle, basket in hand, he looked up and down the shelf, his brain not having caught up with him. Bright, garish light reflected off of the floor tiles. Some older song was playing on the broken speakers above and Jason wished the guy up front would just turn it off.

"Excuse me." A voice said, as a figure ducked in behind him. Dressed in a brown button up, and sporting a New York Yankees cap, salt and peppered hair sticking out from behind his ears, there was something vaguely familiar about him, about his tentative expression. When he caught sight of Jason's gaze, he started.

"Jason, good to see you." _Ah, that was it. _

"Hey Wally. Good to see you too."

"How've you been?"

"I'm doing pretty okay. Yourself?"

"Ah, you know." Wally Haggler lifted a hand half-heartedly. "Business at the junkyard has been doing okay, can't complain."

"I mean, you probably could." Jason joked.

"Yeah, I could, but I probably won't bore you. It's the slow season after all." Giving a wry smile, Wally dropped a loaf of bread into his basket. Jason nodded his agreement. October meant a lot of things, but generally speaking, people were less likely to sell or make purchases. A chill had fallen gently over Odyssey. Connie had pulled out her collection of green sweaters, and his dad had started to layer his clothes with thick wool. "Would you...happen to know how Buck Oliver's doing?" Haggler asked.

"I think he's doing pretty well. Eugene and I hung out the other day and from what I gathered, everybody's doing good." There was more he wanted to tag on, but wasn't convinced it was his place to say. Buck was getting promotional brochures from colleges for the first time, which was scaring the heck outta Eugene.

"That's a relief." Haggler sighed, breathing out. "I gotta tell ya, the whole thing with that, Hope Chest was a little unnerving."

"I can't say I disagree." Jason said with a nod. He wondered if there was something Haggler wanted to say but felt he couldn't. He waited, leaving a space open, just in case, then gestured towards the front counter after a few moments. "It was good to see you, Wally. Take care"

"Yeah, you too."

He was half out the door, one hand on the door handle, and another cradling his bag of groceries when Wally caught up to him.

"Jason, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Do you, uh, think people can really change?" There had no been warning. The door shut in, and Jason was pushed backwards by its weight. He pushed through to the sidewalk, using his foot to prop it open as Haggler followed him.

"Why do you ask?" Why are you asking me? He thought would be a better inquiry.

"It's just been on my mind for a while." Haggler took his hat off to comb a hand through his hair. "Ya know, I sort of been expecting a 'hard yes' from a lot of folks 'round here. But they're the sort of people who don't need to ask." Jason had an idea of what Haggler meant by that.

"You're asking if people change?"

"Yes." Rubbing a hand alongside his jaw, Jason had to shift his grip a little on his groceries. An o_f course_, was on the tip of his tongue, and he couldn't discourage, but somehow, he wanted to give something more substantial than that. Still, a wave of tiredness washed over him.

"If people couldn't change, I doubt, seriously doubt that I'd be standing here talking to you right now." He said.

"Really?" Wally was taken aback. Nodding, Jason glanced back up at the store's front above them, its sign rusted around the edges, colors dimmed by long exposure to the sun. It had been there since he was a kid, and probably decades before.

"Yup."

"You know, I - there's things I've done that people don't know. Jay doesn't know. I've-"

"I know." Jason said. "I've gone places I shouldn't have, sometimes I wonder how I'm even alive. It definitely wasn't me, that's for sure." He didn't expect to have a conversation of this depth at just after eleven on a Monday night. No, he wasn't sure the extent of what Haggler was hinting at. He strongly suspected there was some sort of criminal background, but it had never been his business. "People change all the time. Usually, it doesn't seem too noticeable. But when you look back at it," He gave a shrug. "The evidence is there. A lot of folks here have changed in ways I wouldn't have guessed unless I had seen it for myself." He debated on elaborating, saying that he'd been a mess as a teen, and even through his twenties. Reckless, stupid. "What I'm saying is, look, I didn't know you before, but you have been a huge help to us. I'm glad to know you."

It was enough. Enough to hear, and to drag out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." Haggler said. As he got into his car, he wondered briefly if he had made himself into a fool. Jason hadn't seemed short with him, it was just he subject matter that was as tough as nails. The last time he had seen Polhaus, the man had given him the smallest of head nods, begrudging acknowledgment. But he was not the same man. Less unforgiving, maybe. This town had somehow shaped him.

And Buck, that kid. It wasn't really any of his business, didn't even see the Meltsners all that much, though he knew that he struggling with the same question but there was a change. Maybe, possibly, it wasn't just the town, Haggler thought, but the people.

* * *

A/N I don't know where this came from exactly, but every time I give The Green Ring Conspiracy a listen, I wish that we could hear more of Walter Haggler's story. Hopefully this wasn't too sappy? I haven't finished aio fic in a bit, and been dying to. Loved it? Hate it? Let me know what you you think!


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